New Product Alert

I've put the crafting on hold for a wee bit to add some new products onto the website instead of keeping them all for myself. What I really need is another pair of hands so I can craft as well as add new products... just not sure the world is ready for another me!!!
I'll be adding more products over the next couple of days so be sure to keep checking back to see what more goodies have been listed. Stock numbers are limited so it will be a case of first in first served as I can't guarantee that I can get additional stock, though if you are really desperate I will certainly do my very best to source your desired items.
As always if there is anything you are looking for but I don't stock, then I am happy to order in products to meet customer requirements. Any orders paid in advance automatically receive a discount off the usual website price. Where else can you get a fantastic deal like that?


New Products:

•   Shipping tags

 

 

 

• Printed paper tapes

• Alphabet Stickers

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Chipboard Alphabets

 

 

 

• Kraft File Folders

Finishing what you start...

I'm finally in the mood and have the time to do some crafting. (Having your full-time job cut down to one day a week does that for you). The mojo and inspiration are kind of there and flowing - at least better than they were at the beginning of the year. My scrap stash is so ginormous that I can't use that as an excuse so I have been doing some creating.
I've started several mini albums, some OTP projects, and have sorted some papers and photos for layouts. I also have a really, really long "To Do List".
The problem now is finishing off all my started and half done projects. I seem to have so much on the go at the moment that nothing is getting finished.
What tricks and steps do you implement to finish off all your partly done projects?

The Winter Blues - ATC Swap

This month I'm doing a couple of swaps through the Crafting Passionz forum. Here is the first one - an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap. 
The theme was "The Winter Blues".
At first I wondered what on earth to do. Here in Auckland, we don't get snow or even sleet. It gets cold, but is often still in double figures (despite the fact I'm sitting here covered in a blanket and fingerless gloves lol). In the end I decided on what I love to do in Winter... sit in front of a fire, with a blanket over my knees, sipping a cup of steaming hot chocolate.

There are four of us in the swap. All the ATC's a slightly different.

The front and back of the ATC's - they are individually numbered.

Close-up of one of them. The fire surround is embossed and coloured with Tim Holtz distress inks. You can another example of this here and there will be some more coming up soon as I really love the finished look of this particular technique. The flames are all hand cut so each fire is different. Then the bottom section represents the patchwork blanket over my knees and of course the close-up cup of Hot Chocolate, steaming (pulled mulberry paper). I tried to add dimension and perspective here (doesn't that sound highly technical) which is why the mug looks so big in comparison to everything else.

Purple "For You" Card

Another quick card that I made to go with a parcel to a scrapping friend in Aussie.

White cardstock base (scrap cardstock), purple patterned paper (from scrap pile), white ribbon tied in bow, white flowers all from KaiserCraft, all in Coconut colour, 4 mini and 1 medium. Stamped images using Stazon Royal Purple.

Pink Card

My apologies for no blogs for a few days but I've been sick. Just a head cold, but it still takes it out of you and leaves you lethargic and unenthusiastic. None the less, I have managed to complete a few small projects which I would like to share with you.

The first is a card I included in a parcel of goodies I sent to an internet friend who lives in the States.

Simple white cardstock base (scrap cardstock), pink patterned paper (from scrap pile), white ribbon tied in a bow, white cardstock covered with black and white tissue (scrap left from an earlier blog) and three small rhinestones.

Angel Album - Part 1

My niece, Melissa, has just had a baby girl, Paige Taylah, last week. Like all Great Aunties, especially those who are scrappers and crafters I wanted to give her a little gift to commemorate her birth.
I tossed up what to create until I found a KaiserCraft Wings Album at Spotlight on sale (always a bonus).
I know a lot of people have created albums like this and you probably all have your own method for doing it, which may or may not be the same as mine, but I know I love to see the creative process step by step, so I'm going to share with you how I created this little album.
Part 1 - shows you the steps to creating the basic album ready to add any photos and embellishments. Part 2 will show the finished album after all the extras have been added.


Decorating the album base.
1. Start by painting the outer edge of each page with your coordinating paint. Then add a thin line of paint tracing the edge of the album. This is to give a nice tidy edge underneath your patterned paper, especially if the paper does not fit the edge of the album perfectly.

2. Lightly sand the edges to give the album pages an aged look. I like this as it immediately gives the album a homely, used look, rather than being brand new. It also means that as the album is used and looked it, any knocks or slight damage it receives, just adds to the already aged look instead of detracting from the brand new look. 
The great thing about sanding is that you can sand as little or as much as you like and it doesn't need to be perfectly symmetrical either, instead it just adds to the character if the sanding is a little heavier in some patches compared to others.

3. Create a template by tracing around one of the album pages onto scrap paper. Then trace this template onto the back side of your selected patterned paper. I chose to use eight different pieces of patterned paper from different manufacturers, all from my scrap pile. (Rather than using brand new paper, this is a great way to use up some of your scraps.) I also chose to make my template about .5 cm smaller on all sides than the actual album. You can chose to make your patterned paper the same size as your album pages for a different look.
NOTE: Be careful when laying out your patterned paper to make sure you cut shapes for both sides of the album page and not all facing the same way. (I.e. I cut 4 facing left and 4 facing right).

4. I wanted each of the patterned papers to stand out against the painted edge, so I inked each edge with my favourite ink VersaColour "Pinecone". The colour just matches even though not every piece of patterned paper had brown on it somewhere. It's just that perfect natural colour, that seems to go with everything.

5. Adhere the patterned paper to the page. Before doing this you may like to take a moment to plan which patterned papers are going to back on to each other and which patterned pages are going to face each other. It may make all the difference to the look of the finished album.
I used Elmer's Glue which I spread over the patterned paper with an old credit card - so the easiest way to evenly disperse the glue over any large piece of paper. I then gingerly placed the patterned paper onto the album pages trying to leave even edges all around the album page. Using a tissue I dabbed the pages into place and soaked up any excess glue that squirted out from under the patterned paper before ensuring the patterned paper was well stuck down by rolling with a ink roller/brayer.

6. Finally I linked all the pages of the album together using 25mm binder rings, making sure I had the albums in the order that I wanted. In the picture below, the top most pair of pages are the back and front (left to right). The pages below are in order as they appear in the album.

I have to now get the photos printed for the album from Paige's first few days with us, so you should get to see the finished album in a couple of days.